Usability testing checks whether people can use a website or app to do what they came to do, and where they struggle. Participants try set tasks while thinking aloud, and the researcher watches for hesitation, errors and confusion. On Zolensa, participants record their screen and voice while they complete each task on their own device, then rate how easy it was. For moderated sessions, the participant shares their screen in a live video interview in the browser, while the researcher guides them and observers watch unseen.
When to use usability testing
- Before a launch or redesign: find the problems while they are cheap to fix.
- Key flows: sign-up, search, checkout, booking, account settings.
- Mobile and desktop: test on the devices people really use.
- After a change: check that a fix worked with a new round of five or more people.
- Benchmarking: the same tasks on your product and a competitor's.
How a study runs on Zolensa
- One task, one screen recording. For each task, write the scenario in the instructions: "You want to change your delivery address. Show us how you would do it." Add a screen recording question under it.
- Link to where to go. Add a link to the task, so participants open your website or prototype with one tap. On a computer they share the browser tab or window; on a phone they use the phone's screen recorder.
- Measure each task. After the recording, ask "Did you manage it?" as a single choice, and rate how easy it was on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Ask why, only when needed. Show "What got in the way?" only to people who say they did not manage it.
- Run moderated sessions live. Plan a one to one video interview. The participant shares their screen from their computer, you guide them through the tasks and ask questions, and observers watch from the observation room. The recording shows the shared screen with everyone's faces next to it.
- Collect the evidence. Mark each problem as a highlight with a start, an end, a note and a tag such as "navigation". The highlights page lists every clip, ready for the report.
Zolensa features that help
- Screen recording with voice. Computers record in the browser; phones upload from the built-in recorder. Recordings can be up to 10 minutes.
- Links in the task. Participants open the website, app store page or prototype straight from the task.
- Screen sharing in live sessions. Moderated tests in the browser, with nothing to install. The moderator can stop a share at any time.
- Text on screen, searchable. By default the text on each recording is read on Zolensa's own server, so you can search for the page or button people saw.
- Transcripts with times. Click a line to jump to the moment a participant says "I can't find it".
- Conditional questions. Follow-ups only for those who need them.
- Tags and highlights. Tag each problem, then filter by tag to see every clip of the same issue.
- Test participants. Your team tries every task on a real phone first, free.
Plan for these
- Five people find most problems. Several small rounds, with fixes in between, teach more than one big round.
- Write scenarios, not instructions. Say what the person wants to do, not which buttons to press.
- Do a practice task. A short first task helps people get used to recording and talking at the same time.
- Use a test account if needed. If the flow needs a sign-in or a payment, give participants test details in the task, and never ask for their own card.
- Mind what is on screen. Ask people to close private tabs and notifications before they record.
